WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today in honor of the 60th anniversary of the historic Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which was issued on May 17, 1954:

“Sixty years ago tomorrow, the Supreme Court issued its historic, unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education, ending the shameful practice of legal segregation in schools throughout our country. I join in celebrating this anniversary and the justice it brought to millions of children, their parents, and their communities in 1954 and every day since. I also join with others from across Maryland in recognizing the historic contributions of one of the great figures in our state’s history, Thurgood Marshall, who argued the case before the Supreme Court and later went on to serve as a member of that body.

“Victory in the Brown v. Board of Education case came about because a dedicated group of citizens, led by the NAACP, had the will and the courage to stand up against an unjust system, which had taught generations of black children that they were less deserving of opportunity than their white peers. The ruling in that case brought our nation a major step closer toward fulfilling the words of its founding Declaration – that ‘all men are created equal’ – and it energized the Civil Rights Movement to take action toward securing an end to segregation altogether and equal access to the ballot.

“In our day, while the legal segregation of schools is thankfully a thing of the past, many of our nation’s schools still reflect the effects inequality and segregation had on our nation, and wide disparities continue to affect students’ access to quality education and the opportunities it makes possible. As we mark this historic anniversary, let us rededicate ourselves to the work of investing in our public schools, ensuring their diversity and equality , and making certain that all of our students are receiving a quality education and graduating with the skills that they need to succeed in the twenty-first century global economy.”